Anil Kumble steps down as India coach – a timeline of events

Anil Kumble stepped down as team India coach on Tuesday with plenty of question marks over the team's running but made it clear that the relationship with Virat Kohli was now 'untenable' despite board's insistence on solving differences.

On June 23, 2016, Anil Kumble was chosen ahead of Ravi Shastri as head coach of the Indian cricket team by the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. The choice was hailed as a massive one in the scheme of things with plenty of experience under Kumble’s belt – as a player and as a captain. His first assignment was the tour to West Indies and before that, some differences in approach between previous coaches and Kumble were evident. He insisted on team bonding exercises and players spending time with each other.

Fast forward under a year, more accurately 363 days, and it has all come crumbling down in a controversial manner. Kumble stepped down as Team India coach on Tuesday evening after leading the side to a runners-up finish in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 as his final assignment. There were no celebratory messages, no ‘thank you’s’ or social media posts thanking the coach for the time spent. It has all unravelled in the last month in dramatic fashion with claims, counter-claims and rumours. At the end, those rumours have proven right.

Here is a timeline of key events during Kumble’s stint as the coach:

How the board and the team management proceeds from hereon is anyone’s guess. For now, the situation remains very delicate with plenty of allegations being made at captain Virat Kohli for his alleged involvement in Kumble’s decision to step down. But more could become clear when India take on West Indies and the skipper steps up to take questions from the media ahead of first ODI on June 23.